Animal stall



June 29, 1937. E. s. GANDRUD ANIMAL STALL 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April4, 1935 June 29, 1937. E. s. GANDRUD ANIMAL STALL Filed April 4, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet 2 &

By H/s ATTO/F/VEJTC? WK.

Patented June 29, 1937 UNITED STAES PATENT o'FFIcE ANIMAL STALL EbenhardS. Gandrud, Pipestone, Minn.

Application April 4, 1935, Serial No. 14,591

11 Claims.

-of the cows, a reasonable amount of freedom of movement of the confinedanimals, and cleanliness in the use of the equipment.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like partsthroughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken from frontto rear on the line II of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a view of thestructure shown in Fig. 1 looking from the rightof Fig. 1, parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the device;

7 Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryhorizontal section taken on the line 4-4 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail in section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on the line I'I of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the neck yoke that may be used inconnection with the device.

The floor structure 9, which is illustrated as concrete, is shown asprovided over the stall area proper with a plank flooring ii] and at therear end thereof with a gutter I I. In front of the floor structure IDthe concrete floor structure is a long feed trough I2, preferably and asshown, formed as a monolithic portion of the concrete floor structure 9.This trough Ill extends in front of a plurality of stalls. The stallsare divided off or separated by partition structures formed chiefly byvertical posts I3 and top rails it, both of which are preferably tubularpipe structures. The posts l3 are anchored to the floor structure in anysuitable way either by being set into the concrete flooring or by beingotherwise rigidly anchored thereto, and the same is true of the lowerrear ends of the top rails I4. The upper ends of the 5 posts I3 arerigidly connected to the rails I l by coupling straps or brackets I orany other suitable means. Preferably, the stalls are further completedby open grids I6 suitably secured to the posts and rails by straps orbrackets ii.

The trough structures I2 are well in front of the posts I3 and arespanned by bridge bars located substantially in the planes of therespective partitions. These bridge bars as shown, are each made up of apair of slightly spaced angle bars I8 anchored at their ends to theupper and lower 10 edges of the trough structure, preferably by means ofnut-equipped U-bolts I9, see Fig. 8, set into the concrete of the upperand lower edges of the trough.

Located in front of each stall and extended over the intermediateportions of the bridge bars I8 are closely barred racks or panels, asshown made up each of lower horizontal pipe sections 20, upper pipesections 2| and connecting rods 22. The ends of the lower pipes are insubstantially abutting arrangement and are pivotally mounted in keeperbrackets 23 secured on the flanges of the bridge bars I 8.

It should now be noted that the upper rails i l in front of the posts I3are extended rearwardly on the arc of a circle struck from the commonaxis of the lower pipes 20 and that the ends of the upper pipe sections2| are mounted in brackets 24 that are adjustably secured to the arcuateportion I la of said top rails by means of nut-equipped bolts 25 thatare insertable through said brackets and through any one of a pluralityof perforations 26 formed in said portion I ia. In Figs. 1 and 2, someof the panels are shown in vertical positions while others are shown asrearwardly adjusted into positions at considerable angle to aperpendicular.

will later appear.

Supplemental posts 21 are extended immedi- The purpose of this atelybelow the front ends of the arcuate rail sections Ma, and at their lowerends are anchored to the bridge bars I8. Preferably these posts 2? arepipe sections that are anchored in position by long nut-equipped rods28, see particularly Fig. 6, passed therethrough and through the pipesections Ma and through flanges of the bridge bars I8. A long orcontinuous hay manger is formed in front of each stall and extended overthe front portion of the continuous or long trough I2. These mangers, asshown, are formed in part being interposed between sections of thelatter and with the rods 28 passed through the ends thereof, as alsoshown in Figs. 1 and 6.

The continuous trough l 2 is arranged to be divided into sections forthe respective stalls, by partition plates 3!, shown as pivoted at 32 sothat when the trough is to be cleaned, said partition plates may beturned up into positions indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. As bestshown in Fig. 5, these partition plates St at their lower edges normallydrop into channels formed by flanged channels 33 set into the concreteof the trough. The channels afforded by these channel straps affordwhich are extended at 33a through the rear portion of the trough, andalso act to anchor the said partition plates against lateral movements(preventing bending) when an animal exerts pressure thereon.

For each two adjacent stalls, there is shown as provided a water basinor receptacle 3% shown as supported on the adjacent post by a suitablebracket. Water will be supplied to these water receptacles or basins bysmall supply pipes 35 and preferably, also through animal operated valvemechanisms 36 of well known construction.

To prevent the animal in one stall from eating out of the compartmentfor the adjacent stall while permitting the animals from two adjacentstalls to drink out of the same basin or receptacle 34, I provide guardplates Sl that nearly fill the space between the posts l3 and 2! and thebridge bars 58 and rail sections I la. These guard plates by means ofhinge brackets 38 are pivotally mounted on the adjacent posts 21 andtheir free edges are connected by chains 39 or the like to the adjacentposts IS. The chains or connections 355 permit enough oscillatorymovements of the guard plates ill to permit the animals from twoadjacent stalls to drink out of the same basin, but do not permitsuificient movement to permit the one animal to eat out of the troughsection for the adjacent stall.

The spacing of the rods 22 of the barred panels is such that the cowscannot pass their heads between the same, but can reach with their nosesfar enough between said rods to take hay in the hay rack in front ofsaid barred panels.

When loose feed such as corn, fodder, ensilage, bran and fluid mixturesare poured or delivered through the hay rack, they will drop between thebridge bars l8 and under the lower pipe sections or bars 26 to thebottom of the respective trough sections. I-Iay or the like, however,will be retarded by the lower bars or pipe sections 20 of the panels andretained in the hay racks where they can be reached by the animals onlythrough the spaces between the bars ofthe panels.

The cows will preferably be secured in the respective stalls withfreedom for considerable v head movement and sidewise body movement andthis, of course, may be accomplished in any suitable way. For thatpurpose I have, in Fig. 9, shown a neck yoke or band Alt which may, forexample, be placed around the cows neck. A flexible anchorage device 45,anchored in structure N or bars it, or other suitable portion of stall,and having a snap or similar readily manipulated device at the other orfree end to permit handy attachment or detachment to yoke or similardevice around the animals neck, is provided to keep the animal securedin the stall.

Again, by reference particularly to Fig. 1, it will be noted thatthebarred panel made up of elements 2l222l, is located over theintermediate portion of the rearwardly inclined botinclined drainagechannels tom of the feed trough l2, so that with this arrangement, loosefeed including such cut materials as silage, will be in the bottom ofthe trough at the rear of the panel and within easy reach of the cow,while hay will be held in the rack in front of the panel and over theforward or outer portion of the trough. The hay in the rack, however,can be reached by the cow whose nose will pass through the bars of thepanel into engagement with the hay.

The structure defined herein, among others, has the followingadvantages: The animal will be given very great freedom in action andmay move about the stall much as if in a box stall. Ensilage, feed, hayand other feeds may be fed at the same feeding time. The animals head isnot in the way during the feeding operation and there will be nostretching of the animal into the feed alleys. Winged shoulder, which iscommon among dairy cattle where stanchions are employed, is practicallyprevented. The animals may keep themselves and the stall clean and willlie down in the stall ahead of the gutter. The stalls may be quicklymade of any de sired length and the whole installation may be producedat very reasonable cost. The cattle cannot throw hay out of the mangeror feed trough during the course of eating. Left-over hay or similarroughage is kept in a place where it may be readily removed. The feedtrough may be readily cleaned from time to time by flushing or otherwisewhen the trough partitions 3! are raised. By adjustments of the panel,the length of the stall may be varied to animals of diiferent size andlength so that the animal will always stand in proper relation to thegutter.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that the invention abovedescribed is capable of various modifications as to details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts within the scope of the inventionherein disclosed and claimed.

It is highly important to note that in the improved stall described a'ndherein claimed the feed trough has a rearwardly inclined bottom and thatthe barred rack is supported with its lower portion above theintermediate portion of the inclined bottom of said trough. Also, it isimportant that the hay manger is located outward or forward of thebarred rack so that hay can be delivered into the same from the outerside of the stall. Also, with this arrangement, any loose feed deliveredto the trough through the hay manger will be dropped onto the inclinedbottom of the trough and will, under the action of gravity, run rearwardto the lower portion of the trough and to a point at the rear of therack so that such loose feed may be reached by the animal.

What I claim is:

1. An animal stall comprising partition structures combined with a feedtrough at the front portion thereof, and a barred panel extendedtransversely and upwardly above the intermediate portion of said trough,said parts being arranged to form a plurality of adjacent stalls infront of which said trough is extended, water receptacles locatedadjacent certain of said partition structures, and upright guard platessubstantially aligned with the partition structures and located over therear portions of said trough, said guard plates being mounted forlimited lateral movements, and stop means for limiting the lateralmovements of said guard plates, so that said plates can be moved topermit'either of two animals in adjacent stalls to drink from the samewater receptacle, but will prevent the adjacent animals from drinking atthe same time, said guard plates serving further to prevent adjacentanimals from eating out of the same trough section.

2. An animal stall comprising partitions including posts and top rails,the latter being extended forward of said posts, a feed trough locatedin front of said posts, bridge bars extended from the front to the rearportions of said trough and spanning the latter, and a barred panelmounted on said bridge bars and connected to the forwardly extendedportions of said top rails, in combination with a hay manger locatedover said bridge bars in front of said barred panel, the bottom of saidtrough being inclined rearwardly so that the deepest portion thereof isrearward of said barred panel, said barred panel having a transverselower bar located above the intermediate portion of the inclined bottomof said trough so that ensilage and like feed material will run underthe same to a position in the bottom of the trough rearward of saidpanel.

3. In an animal stall structure, a concrete trough having an inclinedbottom, trough partitioning plates mounted for vertical movements andwhich, when lowered, divide the trough into laterally spacedcompartments, and tubular metallic channel strips set into the inclinedbottom of said trough and into which the lower edges of said troughpartitions are seated when lowered, said tubular channel strips beingextended from the upper to the lower portion of the inclined bottom ofsaid trough and being open at their lower ends for drainage.

4. In an animal stall, laterally spaced partitions comprising frontposts and top rails, the latter projecting forward of said posts, atrough extended transversely of the stall and in front of said posts andhaving a rearwardly inclined bottom, bridge bars applied to the frontand rear portions of said trough in substantial alignment with saidpartitions, a barred panel pivotally mounted on the intermediateportions of said bridge bars forward of the lowermost portion of saidtrough, the upper edge of said barred panel being secured to theforwardly projecting ends of said top rails, and a stationary hay mangerlocated in front of said barred panel and above the forward ends of saidbridge bars.

5. The structure defined in claim 4 in combination with guard platessubstantially aligned with the partition structures, located over therear portions of said trough and below the forwardly projecting ends ofsaid top rails, said barred panel being located and capable ofadjustments between said guard plates.

6. The combination with an animal stall, of a feed trough extended infront thereof and having a rearwardly inclined bottom extending from arelatively high front portion to a relatively low back portion, bridgebars extending from the high front to the low rear portion of saidtrough, a barred panel extended transversely above said trough with itslower portion anchored to the intermediate portions of said bridge bars,and thereby held above the intermediate portion of the inclined bottomof said trough, and a hay manger located forward of said barred paneland above the high front portion of the inclined bottom of said trough.

7. The structure defined in claim 6 in which said barred rack ispivotally mounted on said bridge bars and is forwardly and rearwardlyadjustable at its upper portion.

8. In an animal stall, laterally spaced partitions com-prising frontposts and top rails, the latter projecting forward of said posts, atrough extended transversely of the stall in front of said posts, bridgebars applied to the front portions of said trough and extendedrearwardly therefrom substantially in line with said partitions, abarred panel pivotally mounted on said bridge bars and extended abovethe intermediate portion of said trough, means adjustably connecting theupper portion of said barred panel to the forwardly projecting portionsof said top rails, and a hay manger located in front of said barredpanel and above the outer front portion of said trough.

9. The structure defined in claim 8 in combination with means foradjustably securing the upper portion of said barred panel to theprojecting ends of said top rails.

10. The structure defined in claim 8 in which said trough has arearwardly inclined bottom, the lower portion of which is rearward ofsaid panel.

11. In an animal stall, laterally spaced partitions including front postelements and top rails, the latter projecting forwardly of said postelements, a trough having a rearwardly inclined bottom extendedtransversely of the stall from a point forward to a point rearward ofsaid post elements, a barred panel extended transversely of said troughwith its upper portion adjustably secured to the forwardly projectingportions of said top rails, a support pivotally mounting the lowerportion of said panel above the bottom of said trough on a line betweenthe front and rear portions thereof, and a hay manger located in frontof said barred panel and above the relatively high front portion of saidtrough.

EBENHARD S. GANDRUD.

